


Waiting For the Dawn

by LyriaBlackFrost



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Abuse, Brief mention of blood and injury, Death (of a villain), Dragon Ryuji, Fantasy AU, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 12:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18739033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyriaBlackFrost/pseuds/LyriaBlackFrost
Summary: Yuuki never considered disobeying his master, the powerful mage Kamoshida, fearing the consequences of even the smallest act of defiance.Things change, however, when Kamoshida brings a young dragon from his latest hunt, and Yuuki can’t help but feel that he went a step too far.





	Waiting For the Dawn

When the well-known and powerful mage, Kamoshida, took Yuuki — a common orphan with a few magic powers — in as an apprentice, he thought it was something way too good to be true.

And he was right.

The charismatic, friendly mage, who was downright idolized by many, was, behind the door of his atelier, a cold, sadistic person, who lost his temper at the smallest inconvenience, letting his frustrations out on Yuuki, whose body still carried bruises, burn marks, and cuts, both fresh and old. He would run away from that place and that man if he could, however, where else was he supposed to go? He was already too old to go back to the orphanage, and Kamoshida had made it quite clear that, if he ever tried to leave, or open his mouth about what happened there, he would make sure he would never use his legs again.

Was he supposed to defy that man? Maybe… But he was too scared to try, especially because he knew Kamoshida’s words weren’t an exaggeration: he loved the attention he got, and, if people knew of his abusive actions, his reputation would suffer greatly. Crippling — or even killing — Yuuki wouldn’t be much more than an inconvenience to him, and a low price to pay for his name.

So, he simply obeyed, keeping his eyes and voice low, doing his best not to contradict that man and avoid further punishment.

That’s why, whenever Kamoshida left for his hunts and travels, and Yuuki was left alone in his mansion, he finally found some time to himself, using it to study the magic he had so much interest in. As Kamoshida’s apprentice, it would be expected that he already did something like that every day, but, most of the times, Kamoshida refused to teach him more than enough to make him useful to his experiments, saying he wasn’t intelligent enough for that.

An obvious excuse, since Yuuki managed to learn almost everything that he knew by himself.

He was still in the middle of a chapter about sigils when he heard the gates opening, and the sound of horses entering the courtyard, as well as exalted voices. He quickly closed the book, placing it back on the shelf, grabbing a broom he strategically placed close to him, pretending to be focused on cleaning the room. Just in time, since minutes later Kamoshida opened the door, looking at him. For a moment, Yuuki felt his body grow cold: did he suspect something?

But, instead of screaming at him, or raising his fists, Kamoshida seemed to be in high spirits.

“Hey, boy…” he said, a satisfied smile on his face. “Come with me. I’ll show you something interesting.”

That surprised Yuuki: for a man like him, those words sounded strangely kind. He agreed, not wanting to sour his mood, but also intrigued, following Kamoshida downstairs, to the courtyard, and there he saw his hunting group surrounding something on the ground.

“Are you sure that thing works?” asked one of the hunters.

“Of course it does,” said another one. “If it didn’t, we’d be nothing but ashes by now.”

Kamoshida approached them with wide steps, and Yuuki had to make an effort to accompany him with his much shorter legs.

“I hope you’re not doubting my word,” said the mage, calling the hunters’ attention. “I guarantee that seal is strong enough to hold his powers.”

The doubting hunter went pale.

“I didn’t doubt your power, master Kamoshida!” he said. “But… It’s the first time we manage to capture one of them alive.”

Yuuki looked at the creature on the ground, which, at first sight, seemed like a human boy, around his age, with tanned skin and blond hair. He had heavy chains around his neck and limbs, covered in small, intricate runes to contain his magic. Yuuki’s heart seemed to skip a beat at the sight, and an unpleasant shiver went down his spine.

“What is this?” he asked, before he could stop himself.

Luckily, Kamoshida missed the horror in his voice, interpreting it as interest.

“A dragon, of course,” he sounded proud of himself. “I’ve been trying to capture a living one for years now, and I finally did it this time. Their blood and scales are rare ingredients, and now I’ll have an unlimited supply of it.”

“Dragon…?”

“You want me to repeat myself?” Kamoshida sighed, impatient. “Are you so dumb you can’t recognize a dragon in his human form? Just look at him yourself, and stop asking stupid questions.”

Yuuki looked at the boy again, and noticed the details the initial shock made slip his mind: golden scales covered part of his arms, as well as the area close to his neck, and dark-golden wings raised from his back, also being contained by those chains. His head had a pair of small, brownish horns that pointed backward, and, when he looked at their direction, with an expression of pure anger, Yuuki realized his eyes had a bright golden color and vertical pupils.

“I’ll fuckin’ kill you…” he whispered to Kamoshida.

But the mage simply scoffed at his words.

“You know where to put him,” he said, turning his attention back to his hunters. “Make sure you don’t damage the scales.”

Yuuki watched, as if paralyzed, as the hunters dragged the boy away, while he still screamed at Kamoshida, trying in vain to get rid of those chains.

“He’ll learn not to be so loud with time,” said Kamoshida. “Now, let’s go back inside. I should explain to you how to remove his blood and scales without wasting or damaging the material.”

Those words made Yuuki’s stomach turn, but he didn’t question the mage, following him back to his study, and to that gruesome lesson he’d rather forget.

 

* * *

 

The dragon boy didn’t leave his mind for the rest of that day. When night came, he found it difficult to fall asleep, turning from one side to the other on his bed. Kamoshida had brought magic creatures to his mansion before, and, despite not feeling too comfortable with the idea of living creatures being treated like that, Yuuki had simply accepted it. This time, however, no matter how he looked at it, he had brought a person. It was wrong… He just couldn’t ignore something like that.

He looked at the big iron key added to his key-chain. Kamoshida had explained him in great detail everything he would have to do to that boy to gather those precious ingredients, expecting him to, as always, obey without any question. So, of course he gave him that key… Because Yuuki would never dare to go against his will.

_Not that time._

Yuuki carefully went outside, as silently as he could, entering that underground place where Kamoshida kept his “cattle”. It didn’t take long for him to find the one he was looking for, who stared at him, narrowing his golden eyes.

“What do you want?” he asked, while baring his pointy fangs.

As a response, Yuuki simply placed a finger over his own lips, asking for silence. The dragon stared at him, still cautious, but less hostile.

“I’ll take you out of here,” whispered Yuuki.

The dragon widened his eyes, as Yuuki opened that gate, crouching beside him.

“Wait… really?” asked the dragon in a low voice. “Aren’t you with that guy?”

Yuuki gritted his teeth, reaching for those chains.

“I hate him,” he said.

“I see… We have somethin’ in common, then.”

He opened the first lock, not taking long to understand how it worked. Then he started doing the same with the others, one by one, until the sound of loud steps approaching made him jump.

“Someone’s coming!” alerted the dragon.

“But I’m almost…”

Only two left… Yuuki barely had the chance to open the first one before that well-known and feared voice echoed just a few steps away from him, freezing his blood.

“As I thought…” said Kamoshida. “You really are a foolish boy.”

Yuuki glared at him, pressing his lips together. _So close_ _… He couldn’t give up now._ Noticing his silent determination, Kamoshida’s expression darkened.

“Get away from that thing,” he said in a paused manner.

Everything inside Yuuki told him to _obey_ , to avoid that man’s wrath, as he always did. But he stood there, in place, using all of his strength to refuse.

“No,” he said. “I… I won’t obey you this time!”

A furious glint appeared in mage’s eyes.

“And who said I need you to obey?” he said, raising his arm. “I can get a new servant whenever I want to.”

Kamoshida whispered an enchantment, and Yuuki recognized it as the summoning of fire. Of course… That dragon was immune to fire and wouldn’t be affected, but he…

“Get away from here!” yelled the dragon.

Yuuki forced his frightened body to _act_ , but, instead of running away, he reached for that final lock around the dragon’s neck, using his own magic to open it, as Kamoshida’s flames rushed in his direction. He closed his eyes, hugging his own body, waiting for the pain.

The dragon moved before the magic could reach him, and when Yuuki gathered his courage to open his eyes again, he saw that boy standing between him and Kamoshida, shielding him with his body and wings. Kamoshida’s furious expression froze, and he didn’t have the time to react before he jumped in his direction, changing his form to a dragon with the size of a cave bear, with dark golden scales, as well as brown horns and claws.

“You won’t get me by surprise this time,” that boy’s voice echoed from the creature, slightly hoarse and distorted.

Kamoshida opened his mouth to scream, but, before he could emit any sound, the dragon’s sharp teeth sank on his throat, making the man convulse in agony before going completely still, his eyes glassy and out of focus. Yuuki watched everything with widened eyes, unable to move, the shock of almost burning to death fusing with the one of seeing that creature kill such a powerful mage without any effort. The dragon changed back to his human form, cleaning the blood on his face with the back of his hand. Then, as if remembering he wasn’t alone there, he turned to face Yuuki. His face was taken by guilt, and he averted his gaze, covering his mouth with the back of his hand, trying to hide what remained of Kamoshida’s blood. A tense silence filled the place.

“Sorry…” he muttered. “Did I scare you?”

Those words sounded so honestly concerned that Yuuki’s mind became a little clearer, and he was able to breathe again: Kamoshida had tried to kill him, but that dragon…

“You… saved me,” he said in a low voice.

Those words made the dragon’s expression relax a little, and he showed him a small, fangy smile.

“C’mon…” he said. “You’re the one who saved me first.”

Yuuki simply nodded, still unsure of what to do. The dragon took a cautious step in his direction, and, when he didn’t retreat, approached a little more.

“Can you tell me your name?” he asked.

That question made Yuuki raise his eyes at him, needing a moment to find the answer.

“I’m Yuuki.”

“And I’m Ryuji,” the dragon widened his smile. “Now, we better get away from here, before anyone else comes.”

Without any other word, Ryuji grabbed Yuuki’s wrist, pulling him out of that place. Yuuki took a final glance at his “master”, realizing that he didn’t feel _anything_ about his gruesome death. He looked away, still unable to grasp the idea that he was… free. From that man, from that place, from those punishments… _Free_.

Ryuji kept pulling his wrist, and Yuuki only realized they were already on the courtyard when he felt the cold night air on his face.

“The horses are on the other side!” he warned, trying to make Ryuji stop.

“Horses?” repeated Ryuji, looking over his shoulder. “Did you forget what I am?”

Before Yuuki could answer, Ryuji let go of him, taking a few steps away from him before changing his form again.

“Come,” he said, lowering his body. “And hold tight.”

Yuuki held his breath as he approached that creature, seeing as his scales glowed under the moonlight. He absentmindedly touched the side of Ryuji’s body, which felt cold against his palm. Then, coming back to his senses, he jumped on Ryuji’s back, placing his arms around his neck. Ryuji opened his wings, jumping into the air, taking flight. A small yelp left Yuuki’s lips, and he closed his eyes, tightening his embrace.

“Don’t worry,” said Ryuji. “I won’t let you fall.”

“Alright…”

Despite his answer, he was still scared. But, as soon as Ryuji reached a safe height, he stopped going as fast, and Yuuki felt more stable on his back. He risked opening his eyes, seeing the world far below them, like small toys. His mouth wide went open.

“This is amazing…” he muttered.

He heard a brief, hoarse laugh come from Ryuji, and, before he knew it, Yuuki was smiling.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“Do you have somewhere to go?”

Yuuki averted his gaze.

“Not really… That’s why I never left that place…” he felt a dull pain in his chest. “I’m all alone.”

Ryuji stayed silent for a while.

“Not anymore,” he said. “I’ll take you home with me.”

Those words caught Yuuki by surprise.

“Really?” he asked. “I mean… I’m a human! Isn’t that… a problem?”

“You saved me,” answered Ryuji. “There’s no way I’m leaving you alone after that.”

“But—”

“It’s alright,” proceeded Ryuji. “You can leave it if you don’t like it. But, for now, it’ll be a safe place.”

“Won’t the other dragons… hate me?”

“Dragons don’t forget their debts,” he looked back at Yuuki, who could almost see a smile on the dragon’s face. “And, if anyone is an ass to you, I’ll be on your side.”

Yuuki considered those words for a while, then leaned forward, resting his face against the cold scales of Ryuji’s neck. How long had it been since anyone had shown him so much kindness? He couldn’t tell… It was such a strange feeling that he didn’t know how to deal with it.

Still, it was far from being bad.

“Alright, then…” he said in a soft tone. “Take me to your home.”

With his heart light, Yuuki turned his gaze to the world below them, feeling that nice, comforting breeze embracing him, as well as a strong feeling of excitement as the first colors of the dawn painted the sky.

_They were free_.

**Author's Note:**

> I... really don't know how I managed to write two fics on the same day... I guess that's how much I love these two.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this fic!


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